Iraq: Qatari Hunting Party Freed After 16 Months In Captivity

April 21, 2017 12:37 GMT

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Iraq: Qatari Hunting Party Freed After 16 Months In Captivity

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Iraqi officials say members of a Qatari hunting party have been freed 16 months after being kidnapped.

The Iraqi interior minister’s adviser, Wahab al-Taee, told the AFP news agency that "all 26" Qatari hunters had been released into the custody of the Iraqi Interior Ministry and would be handed over to a Qatari delegation.

The group of hunters, believed to include members of Qatar’s ruling family, were abducted by gunmen in southern Iraq near the Saudi border in December 2015.

No group claimed responsibility for the abduction, which reportedly sparked months of negotiations between Iran, Qatar, and Shi’ite militias.